Chapter 778: An unusual relationship
Hengdian, the crew of "The Long Ballad".
After the last scene of the day was finished, Reba went into the dressing room to change clothes, accompanied by the second female lead of the crew, Zhao Lusi.
"Sister Baba, are you still pursuing [Joy of Life]?"
After changing out of her costume and putting on her own clothes, Zhao Lusi looked in the mirror and chatted with Reba beside her.
"I watch it every day," Reba replied casually.
She and Zhao Lusi met while working together on this drama. In her eyes, she is young and lively, and they have a good relationship on the crew.
“It’s the finale tonight, I’m really looking forward to it.
But what’s more regrettable is that such a good drama is coming to an end, and there are so many things that are not explained clearly.”
"Didn't Gu Wei say that the second part will start filming in the second half of the year? Just wait.
All the questions will be gradually revealed in the second part."
Zhao Lusi looked in the mirror and reached out to tie her hair up.
"It's a pity that I'm just a little-known artist. It would be great if I had the opportunity to play a role in [Joy of Life 2].
I like Gu Wei very much."
Reba glanced at Zhao Lusi's round face.
"Ruth, you're not just a small-time celebrity anymore. Wasn't the drama [The Rumored Chen Qianqian] very popular last month?
You became famous because of one drama. How many female stars in the circle envy you.
Furthermore, your character in our drama is very well-designed, and you will definitely attract a lot of fans when it airs."
Zhao Lusi couldn't hide her happiness when she heard Reba's words, but she still waved her hand and said modestly: "When we were filming, I didn't expect [Chen Qianqian] to become so popular. It was pure luck.
"The Long Ballad" still relies on Sister Baba's popularity to rise."
After hearing her words, Reba smiled and said nothing.
After they changed their clothes and walked out, Zhao Lusi turned around and asked, "Sister Baba, why don't you come to my room tonight and we can watch a show together."
Reba thought about it and didn't refuse.
"Okay, I'll come find you later."
In the evening, Reba returned to her room, took a shower, changed into comfortable clothes, and seeing that it was almost time, she came to Zhao Lusi's door.
"Sister Baba, come quickly~"
The door opened and Zhao Lusi warmly let her in.
"Sister Baba~"
"Wu Lei, why are you here?"
After entering the door, Reba saw Wu Lei sitting on the sofa in the living room.
"Ruth asked me to come. I was also following Joy of Life. She said that today is the finale and it would be more lively if everyone gathered together to watch it, so she dragged me over."
Wu Lei spread his hands and said helplessly.
"I had originally called Liu Yuning, but he said he had to go back to his room to live stream tonight and couldn't come over. So the three of us should watch it together."
After closing the door, Zhao Lusi hugged Reba's arm from behind, pulled her to sit on the sofa, and took out a basket of snacks from under the coffee table beside her.
“We can eat and watch at the same time.
There are drinks in the refrigerator, Wu Lei, go get some."
"Oh, okay~"
Wu Lei stood up obediently.
Reba was a little surprised by Wu Lei's appearance, but she didn't think much of it.
She actually had a better impression of Wu Lei, as they were the male and female protagonists of "The Long Ballad".
But in her heart, she always felt that Wu Lei was still the little Feiliu in "Langya Bang", and she looked at him like a child.
"You eat so much at night, aren't you afraid of gaining weight?" Reba smiled at Zhao Lusi.
Zhao Lusi reached out to take a bag of potato chips and was about to tear it open, then paused for a moment and then continued her action.
"No, I'll just indulge myself a little today, but I'm usually very careful.
Besides, I didn’t have dinner today, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to have a snack.”
Wu Lei came back with drinks, and Reba took a bottle of lemonade, which has lower sugar content than cola and juice.
On TV, the last two episodes of "Joy of Life" began soon. Reba and Zhao Lusi sat side by side, Wu Lei sat on the side, and the three of them began to watch the show.
Today we will broadcast the last two episodes of "Joy of Life" 45 and 46.
At the beginning of episode 45, the Queen Mother of Northern Qi held a birthday banquet. Envoys from Qing State and officials from Northern Qi sat together, each with their own concerns.
During the banquet, Lang Tao requested to exchange martial arts with Fan Xian in the hall.
Seeing Lang Tao's murderous look, Haitang Duoduo volunteered to compete with Fan Xian on behalf of her senior brother.
The competition between the two was not only not as sharp as the drawing of swords, but also lacked the murderous aura of swords and sabers. Instead, it was as graceful and calm as dancing, soft and harmonious. It did not seem like a duel of martial arts, but more like a dance competition.
Wang Qinian explained to Gaoda below that Lord Fan and the Holy Maiden of Northern Qi were in love with each other and would naturally not really resort to violence.
"When Xin Zhilei's Haitang Duoduo first appeared, I thought she was rather tacky, but the more I watched her, the better she became. I felt like she and Fan Xian were a perfect match.
The two of them are so interesting together, I'm almost supporting them as a couple."
Watching the love story between Gu Wei and Xin Zhilei on TV, Zhao Lusi held her chin and said.
"Teacher Xin Zhilei's acting skills are really good. I've seen the movie 'The Map of the Yangtze River' in which she starred. It's really great!" Wu Lei added.
Reba felt a little emotional when she saw Xin Zhilei on TV.
As early as 2010, when Lu Chuan was filming "The Banquet", he held a nationwide audition for "Yu Ji". She and Xin Zhilei both participated in the audition. Although both of them were eliminated, they also took the opportunity to get to know each other.
Both of them were still amateurs at that time. Reba had just been admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Xin Zhilei was also unknown.
After that, because of their different paths, the two gradually lost contact.
Now 10 years have passed in a flash.
"After [Joy of Life], you have become really famous. I hope your future acting career will be more and more successful."
Although the two are no different from strangers now, the friendship they had back then still makes Reba wish each other well from the bottom of her heart.
After the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, Fan Xian used strategy to defeat the commander of the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division, Chen Zhong, and completed all the tasks of this diplomatic mission to Northern Qi.
On the way back to Nanqing, Chenyu led a large number of assassins to hunt down Fan Xian in a desperate attempt. With the help of Haitang Duoduo, Chenyu failed in the assassination and was taken back to Beiqi.
On the way back to Nanqing, Xie Bian came to see Fan Xian.
The Second Prince asked him to take two letters, one to Fan Xian and one to Yan Bingyun.
Fan Xian now knew that the Second Prince was the man behind the scenes. In the letter, the other party threatened Teng Zijing's family, Fei Jie, and Fan Sizhe.
Fan Xian was unwilling to compromise, and Xie Bian led a large number of assassins to kill the entire delegation.
At the critical moment, Yan Bingyun turned against Fan Xian and stabbed him in the waist with a sword, and Fan Xian fell to the ground and died.
“Is this the end?
Fan Xian is dead?
Didn’t they say they were going to film a second part? "
After the TV series ended, Zhao Lusi looked incredible.
“It must be a fake death, I guessed it.
How can it possibly end when so many clues buried in the beginning haven't been revealed yet?"
Wu Lei was not surprised at all.
As for the plot of "Joy of Life", anyone who has watched more than two TV series knows that the protagonist's death must have been faked.
"You're right. This makes me even more eager. I really want to know what happens next. How did Fan Xian fake his death and escape? How will he fight the Second Prince after returning to Nanqing?"
After muttering a few words, Zhao Lusi looked at Wu Lei beside her and her eyes lit up.
"You're close to Mr. Gu Wei, right? Why don't you give him a call and ask? Just tell him you've been following the show to the end and are super curious."
Wu Lei quickly shook his head: "I won't call. Calling so late will disturb Brother Wei's rest~"
"It's not late at all, it's only 9 o'clock. Besides, aren't we also supporting Joy of Life?"
No matter what Zhao Lusi said, Wu Lei just refused to agree, but his eyes drifted towards Reba, giving her a hint.
Zhao Lusi then remembered that Reba and Gu Wei should have a very good relationship. They have collaborated many times, and "You Are My Glory" was a hit that year.
Thinking of her hugging Reba's arm, she started to act coquettishly: "Sister Baba, why don't you ask, I'm really curious"
Unlike Wu Lei's caution, Reba didn't think there was anything wrong with calling Gu Wei. She would usually call him when she was free at night.
"Okay, I'll give him a call now."
As she said that, Reba dialed Gu Wei's number, which was still in speakerphone mode.
To be honest, she was a bit of a show-off.
"Did Reba miss me? Why are you calling me so late?"
The phone was connected, but before Reba could say anything, Gu Wei spoke first.
After he finished speaking, Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi both widened their eyes, as if they had heard some great secret, and looked at Reba in disbelief.
"Ahem~ I'm with Wu Lei and Ruth. We just finished watching the finale of Joy of Life."
Reba quickly told Gu Wei about the person around her to prevent him from saying anything more outrageous.
"Oh~ You are together?" Gu Wei understood immediately, but he didn't care too much.
"The crew of [The Long Ballad], right?
Wu Lei, come on, act well, I'm optimistic about your "Ashiler Falcon"!
"Okay, Brother Wei, I will definitely work hard!"
Wu Lei seemed very happy to receive Gu Wei's encouragement.
He has been working with Gu Wei since he was a child, and has always regarded him as his idol and goal in his acting career, hoping that one day he can reach Gu Wei's level.
"And Zhao Rusi, right? I've seen your drama [The Rumored Chen Qianqian], it's very spiritual. Keep it up, there's a lot of potential for the future."
"Thank you, Mr. Gu Wei. You are my idol. I particularly like your films and TV series.
Starting from [Embroidered Spring Blade], I haven’t missed any of them.”
Zhao Lusi was very excited when she heard Gu Wei's words, and said happily that she had forgotten the purpose of asking Reba to call.
"We just finished watching the last two episodes of [Joy of Life], and I have some questions I want to ask you~" Reba got back to business.
"Fan Xian must have faked his death, right?"
"The protagonist must not die. This was planned by Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun.
He planned to fake his death and go to Beijing to investigate the whereabouts of Teng Zijing's wife and children."
"What's next?"
"I can't tell you about the rest of the story. You'll have to wait until the second part airs and watch it for yourself."
Hearing this, Zhao Lusi looked regretful.
"By the way, Reba, the filming of 'The Crowd' will start early next month. You may have to finish filming 'The Long Ballad' before joining the crew. Please be patient."
“It’s nothing.
Okay, since it’s not convenient to talk about it later, I won’t bother you anymore.”
"Well, Wu Lei, Zhao Lusi, we'll see you next time."
"Goodbye, Brother Wei~"
"Goodbye, Teacher Gu Wei~"
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Lusi looked at Reba.
"Sister Baba, are you going to work with Teacher Gu Wei again? Is it a movie or a TV series?"
"In the movie, I played a supporting role, not a big part."
“That’s pretty impressive too.
This is your fourth time working with Mr. Gu Wei.
It’s so enviable.”
Zhao Lusi's statement that he has seen all of Gu Wei's films is not nonsense. Reba has indeed collaborated with Gu Wei three times, starting from "Swords of Legends" to "Eternal Love" and "You Are My Glory".
Reba smiled.
"It's nothing special. Gu Wei is the major shareholder of Jiaxing Media. I work for him to earn money. Of course, he will think of us employees when he has the right opportunity."
Zhao Lusi pursed her lips and nodded in agreement, but she didn't agree in her heart.
Among so many artists under Jiaxing, apart from Yang Mi, Gu Wei only takes care of Dilraba Dilmurat, which can be regarded as his exclusive favor.
And from what Gu Wei said as soon as the call was connected, it was obvious that the two of them had a special relationship.
One of them is a boss and the other is a female artist. If they are not boyfriend and girlfriend, then the relationship would be subtle.
Zhao Lusi thought so in her heart but did not ask rashly. Her relationship with Reba was not that good yet. Anyone with a little emotional intelligence would not ask such a private question.
After watching the TV series and making a phone call, Wu Lei got up and left.
Reba also wanted to leave, and Zhao Lusi saw her to the door.
"Sister Baba, you have such a good relationship with Teacher Gu Wei, could you introduce us to each other sometime?
I particularly like Gu Wei's plays, he is my idol."
Reba smiled as she walked out of the door and said: "There will be a chance in the future."
"Thank you, Sister Baba!"
After receiving the affirmation, Zhao Ruth returned with a happy face.
In fact, Reba was just saying it perfunctorily. She didn't care about Zhao Lusi's request at all. She was not the first and would not be the last.
With Gu Wei's fame and status, there are too many female celebrities in the entertainment industry who want to make progress like Zhao Lusi.
【Joy of Life】has come to an end, but its popularity remains unabated.
The number of views on both Tencent Video and iQiyi platforms continues to rise.
High-quality hit dramas often have a long-lasting tail effect, such as "The Story of Minglan" and "Nirvana in Fire".
The most exaggerated one is "The Legend of Zhen Huan", which can still appear on the platform's hot list from time to time after being broadcast for more than 10 years.
".Thanks to the good news that the show is a hit in China, we have already negotiated copyrights with many foreign TV stations, including Hong Kong's TVB Jade, Macau's TVB Anywhere Jade, Singapore's HUB Drama First Choice, South Korea's Chunghwa TV, Taiwan's CTS, Malaysia's 8TV, the US's Super TV America, and Vietnam's HTV7.
Starting next month, "Joy of Life" will be broadcast on TV stations in more than 30 countries and regions around the world.
The domestic second-round broadcast rights were jointly won by Mango TV and Blueberry TV.
These have helped the company recover 240 million in copyright fees."
In the company, Yang Liwen was reporting to Gu Wei on the transaction status of the overseas copyright and second-round broadcast rights of "Joy of Life".
"[Joy of Life] has brought the company over 1 billion in total revenue, right?"
"A total of 1.068 billion yuan, excluding the production costs and the company's pre-release publicity costs, the total profit is about 800 million yuan."
Gu Wei tapped the tabletop with his fingers.
"It's still very profitable to make TV series. Both TV stations and video platforms are willing to spend money."
Yang Liwen smiled and said, "Boss, we don't make money from filming TV series, we make money from TV series produced by our company.
With your performance, the results are guaranteed, and both TV stations and platforms are willing to pay a high price.
Now all video platforms are producing their own dramas, and dramas produced by other companies generally don’t sell for much unless they have popular stars.”
Gu Wei nodded in agreement, and Yang Liwen continued, "Due to many good collaborations over the years, our company has a good relationship with several video platforms, mainly because they have made money by cooperating with us.
Take the current drama "Joy of Life" for example.
As far as I know, Tencent Video and iQiyi earned nearly 1 billion RMB from advertising for Joy of Life, not counting the membership income brought to them by the TV series.
So even if they pay us a high copyright fee, the platform still makes a lot of money!"
"Haha, isn't this great? It's a win-win cooperation. As long as we can continue to produce high-quality works, both the TV station and the platform will be our best friends. There's no need to worry about which side they will side with."
Gu Wei originally had the opportunity to create a video platform, but later he gave up after thinking about it.
Although I know that video platforms will be a very important channel in the future film and television industry, it is too expensive to do this.
To operate a video platform for a long time requires continuous investment, because various new film and television copyrights come out every year, and if you don’t buy them, your competitors will.
And even though Gu Wei's dramas made so much money for the platform, the platform actually lost money on most of the dramas for which it purchased the copyrights.
For companies like Tencent and Youku, it is normal to lose over ten billion every year.
Gu Wei feels that the current situation is fine. As a producer of high-quality dramas, as long as the market does not form a monopoly, he can take the initiative when cooperating with various platforms.
(End of this chapter)
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